Your nasolabial folds naturally deepen due to several factors working together. As you age, your skin loses collagen and elastin, while facial fat shifts and bone density decreases. Your genetics influence how quickly these changes occur. Daily facial movements from smiling and talking, combined with sun exposure, gradually break down skin structure. Weight fluctuations and sleep positions can accelerate fold development, while dehydration and poor skincare habits make them more noticeable. At our clinic, we’ve observed that understanding these causes helps patients to try prevention and treat this sign of ageing. Let’s explore how these factors specifically affect you.
Key Takeaways
- Natural ageing reduces collagen and elastin production, causing skin to lose firmness and deepening the nasolabial folds.
- Repeated facial movements from smiling and laughing create permanent creases over time as skin loses elasticity.
- Sun damage accelerates collagen breakdown and weakens skin structure, making nasolabial folds more pronounced.
- Weight fluctuations stress skin elasticity and alter facial fat distribution, contributing to deeper nasolabial folds.
- Genetic factors influence skin type, collagen production, and facial anatomy, affecting how nasolabial folds develop and deepen.
The Natural Aging Process
The ageing process inevitably takes its toll on our facial features, particularly in the development of nasolabial folds, also called smile or laugh lines. In our Livara clinic, we regularly explain to patients how multiple age-related changes work together to create these prominent lines running from the side of the nose to the corners of the mouth.
As you age, your skin gradually loses collagen and elastin, the essential proteins that keep it firm and springy. This loss of elasticity, combined with environmental factors like sun exposure, means your skin can’t bounce back as quickly from repetitive facial expressions.
You’ll also experience facial fat loss and redistribution, which causes the skin to sag and lose its youthful contours, with the malar fat pad often descending downwards, as shown in ‘A’ the image below.
What many don’t realise is that structural changes in the face, including bone loss in the maxilla and mandible, play a significant role in the deepening of nasolabial folds. These changes reduce the support for your facial muscles and overlying tissues.
When combined with the natural effects of skin ageing and repeated muscle movements from daily expressions, these factors create the perfect conditions for nasolabial folds to become more pronounced.
Understanding these natural processes helps our patients make informed decisions about prevention and treatment options, as it allows us to try target the root cause and not just the symptoms.
Your Genes and Facial Structure
Most people don’t realise just how influential their genes are in how their nasolabial folds may develop and deepen over time. Your genetic factors influence everything from your skin type to how quickly you lose collagen production as you age.
At our clinic, we’ve certainly observed how facial structure, which you inherit from your parents, impacts how these lines form and progress in the following key ways:
- Your inherited facial anatomy determines the underlying framework that supports soft tissue and influences fold depth.
- Your genetic skin type affects how resilient your skin remains against volume loss over time.
- Your DNA influences how quickly your face loses fat and bone density, which can make folds appear more pronounced.
- Your inherited ageing process determines the rate at which your skin loses elasticity.
Understanding your genetic predisposition helps us create more effective treatment plans.
When we evaluate patients at our clinic, we consider their family history and any inherited facial characteristics that may help predict the specific ways your face will age. This genetic blueprint often explains why some people develop deeper nasolabial folds earlier than others, despite similar lifestyle factors and skincare routines.
Daily Facial Movement Patterns
Smiles and laughter may bring joy to your face, but these repeated facial movements can, unfortunately, also contribute to the formation of nasolabial folds. When you make facial expressions, your muscles contract repeatedly, causing the skin to crease in predictable patterns.
Because of this, these daily movements gradually transform dynamic folds into permanent static folds over time. Think of your skin like fabric – with repeated creasing in the same spot, it eventually develops lasting marks. The same principle applies to your facial movements.
Every time you smile, laugh, or purse your lips, you’re creating temporary lines that can become permanent through repetition. These repeated muscle contractions, combined with loss of collagen production and sagging skin as you age, accelerate wrinkle development.
We’ve noticed that many of our patients don’t initially realise how their everyday expressions affect their skin texture. While we can’t (and shouldn’t) stop expressing ourselves, knowing this process sheds some light on why some people develop deeper nasolabial folds than others.
This knowledge is important when we discuss treatment options, as different approaches may be needed depending on whether your folds are primarily dynamic or static.
Sun Damage Effects
While facial movements contribute to nasolabial folds, sun damage plays an even more destructive role in their development. When exposed to UV rays, your skin triggers a cascade of damage that particularly affects the delicate area around your nose and mouth.
Through some of our older patients, just like in the image above, we’ve seen how sun exposure accelerates the breakdown of collagen and elastin, the essential proteins that keep your skin firm and elastic.
Here’s how sun damage deepens your nasolabial folds:
- UV rays penetrate your skin and destroy collagen fibers, leading to premature aging and loss of structural support.
- The breakdown of elastin reduces your skin’s ability to bounce back, causing increased sagging around the mouth, not to mention the formation of general lines and wrinkles.
- Accumulated sun damage weakens your skin’s foundation, making smile lines more pronounced.
- Continued exposure creates a cycle of deterioration that’s difficult to reverse without intervention.
You can prevent deeper nasolabial folds by prioritising sun protection.
We personally recommend using broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher daily, even on cloudy days.
While we offer various treatments to address existing damage, protecting your skin from UV rays remains a great defence, not only against worsening nasolabial lines, but for ageing in general.
Weight Changes and Skin Health
Believe it or not, significant weight changes can also dramatically affect the appearance of your nasolabial folds. When you gain weight, facial fat distribution shifts, often making these lines more prominent as your cheeks become fuller. Conversely, rapid weight loss can cause skin to sag, worsening these folds due to decreased support beneath the skin’s surface.
Because of this, patients who maintain a stable weight typically show slower progression of nasolabial folds. This is because frequent weight fluctuations stress your skin’s elasticity, which is already challenged by natural ageing and collagen loss.
Unlike genetic predisposition, which isn’t in your control, lifestyle factors like weight management are more within your control, so it can be a good thing to focus on.
The impact of weight changes becomes more pronounced when combined with other factors like facial muscle movement and the natural ageing process. We encourage our patients to understand that while some deepening of nasolabial folds is inevitable, maintaining a healthy, stable weight can help minimise their prominence.
If you’re concerned about existing folds, we can assess how weight fluctuations may have contributed to their development and recommend appropriate treatments to address your specific concerns.
Sleep and Posture Impact
Every night, your sleeping position and posture play a subtle yet important role, too. This is because, according to several studies, mechanical pressure on the face during sleep can contribute to the formation of these creases and, therefore, negatively contribute to facial ageing.
Here’s what we’ve learned about sleep and posture’s influence on nasolabial folds:
- Sleeping directly on your face creates mechanical forces that may deepen existing folds through prolonged pressure on the face. It’s best to sleep on your back
- Poor posture throughout the day can lead to sagging cheeks, which naturally emphasise nasolabial creases.
- Maintaining good posture can help counteract gravitational effects that contribute to facial sagging.
If you habitually sleep on your side, then we recommend using a soft pillow that more evenly redistributes facial pressure across your face during sleep.
While you can’t completely control what happens during sleep, these conscious adjustments can help minimise the appearance of nasolabial lines over time.
Proper Skincare Habits Matter
Beyond sleep and posture habits, proper skincare practices can dramatically impact the appearance of nasolabial folds. At our clinic, we’ve observed that consistent skincare routines focusing on hydration and protection make a significant difference in managing these lines.
You’ll want to hydrate your skin both internally and externally. Start by using moisturisers containing hyaluronic acid, which can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. We recommend incorporating hydrating serums into your daily routine to keep your skin plump and supple.
Retinoids are absolutely key, too, and no one should be going without them, in our personal opinion. They’re powerhouses for stimulating collagen production, which helps maintain skin firmness and elasticity.
As mentioned before, sun protection can’t be overstated for preventing nasolabial folds. Since 90% of visible skin ageing comes from UV exposure, we urge our patients to use broad-spectrum SPF daily, regardless of weather conditions.
We’ve found that our patients who combine proper skincare habits with targeted treatments achieve the most noticeable improvements in their nasolabial fold appearance.
Which Treatment Options Are Most Effective for Nasolabial Folds?
From our experience, dermal filler treatments have proven highly effective in addressing prominent nasolabial folds. Hyaluronic acid fillers, in particular, can provide natural-looking volume restoration while maintaining facial movement and expression.
Dermal fillers work by restoring volume beneath the nasolabial folds, effectively reducing their appearance. Our approach to filler treatment emphasises natural results that complement each patient’s facial features. The procedure is customised based on the individual’s anatomy and desired outcome. They’re popular in our clinic due to how effective they are at restoring a youthful appearance while having next to no recovery time.
Our cosmetic treatment options extend beyond dermal fillers to include various modalities that promote collagen production and reduce the appearance of these lines over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Certain Medications or Medical Conditions Worsen Nasolabial Folds?
Yes, medications like steroids and thyroid drugs can deepen your nasolabial lines. Medical conditions, including hormonal changes, thyroid disorders, and diabetes, can also worsen them through effects on your skin’s elasticity.
Do Facial Exercises Help Prevent or Reduce Nasolabial Fold Deepening?
While you can try facial exercises like “Smile Smoother” and “Fish Face,” there’s no scientific evidence they’ll reduce nasolabial folds. They may help tone muscles, but you’ll need other treatments for significant improvement.
Are There Specific Foods That Can Help Maintain Skin Elasticity?
Yes, you’ll benefit from eating foods rich in omega-3s like salmon, collagen-boosting proteins, vitamin C-rich fruits, and healthy fats like avocados. These nutrients help maintain your skin’s elasticity and firmness.
How Do Hormonal Changes Affect the Development of Nasolabial Folds?
Your hormonal changes, especially during menopause, reduce collagen and elastin production while decreasing estrogen levels. This combination makes your skin thinner and less elastic, causing your nasolabial folds to become more pronounced.
Can Smoking and Alcohol Consumption Impact the Severity of Nasolabial Folds?
Yes, your smoking and drinking habits can greatly worsen nasolabial folds. You’ll notice deeper lines since smoking damages collagen and elastin, while alcohol dehydrates your skin and breaks down essential proteins.
